AN: Since my long hiatus on fictionpress, this is the first story I’ve posted up in the past few years. Hopefully my writing has improved enough for the story to be rather enjoyable, so please read and give me some feedback. This fiction will start off rather slowly, therefore, have patience and hopefully continue reading to the end! The beginning was written for a writing contest of sorts on an MSN group called TSGRPG, but I will finish the story here.

Summary: The railway is a symbol of her power, marking the territory that belongs to her and her alone. Atop this hill she sits, staring at the cold rails that crisscross the vast lands below; waiting for someone to rescue her from this barren expanse.

Edit: Sorry for the confusion with the age of the Empress. The italicized part is a flashback (so she is younger at that time, wears pigtails, and is referred to as the Heiress) while the rest is present time with the Empress in her early twenties. My thanks goes to Ivi for pointing that out.

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“Heiress, can you see the black lines against the fields below?”

She nodded, following the finger that pointed out into the living canvas in front of her. Her black dress swayed in the dying sunlight, appearing violet in the sinking torch that clung onto the tip of the horizon faraway.

“That is the railway, the same one as the one that you are sitting upon now. It is the symbol of your power, your inheritance of all these lands.”

“Why?” she asked, just as all children would. It was the first question humankind had ever learned to ask.

“That’s because railway tracks always run parallel to each other. Where the tracks converge is where your territory ends. This is just another way of saying that your power is everywhere.”

She sat there. From a distance, the silhouette of her pigtails looked like the tips of an angel’s wings.

But in this world, she wasn’t an angel…she was God.

“I know,” she spoke quietly after the person left, “but that’s not what I wanted to ask.”

Chapter 1 – One Day

She rose from the water scented with flower petals. Silk ran down her porcelain skin as the servants dried it. Immediately after, a robe of golden threads was slipped up her arms until pairs of skilful hands carefully positioned it across her chest. More servants came forth to wrap the broad, silver belt, embroidered with jade-coloured patterns, around her slim waist. As the servants backed away upon the completion of the silent ceremony, she knew it was time to open her eyes.

They were shaking with fear as her soft gaze landed on them, their heads held so low that it was impossible to recognize them individually. Perhaps that was what they wanted. They didn’t want her to single them out, because there was only one reason for that…

Single one out to be executed…

Or so that was how the kingdom used to be run. She knew of the days when her father ruled. Even her elder brother, the former crowned prince, was killed at the Emperor’s command, let alone executions of lowly servants; they were so common they couldn’t be classified as news.

She had only stepped up to the throne for a couple of months; it was natural that habits didn’t change that quickly.

But that only made her want to change such habits even more. She knew that if she tried one more time to reach out to them, they would embrace her kindness. That was what she told herself every morning when she stepped towards them and offered her hand to help them stand. One day they would take her hand, and it was this one day that she kept waiting for.

“Please forgive us! Please forgive us!” they chanted in trembling voices as she tried once more this morning. It was the same reaction as yesterday, and the day before that, and the day she had become the Empress.

She coughed loudly, finally stopping their incantation.

“There is nothing for me to forgive. As always, I would like to say that you all are far more competent than I who am not even allowed to dress myself.”

“That’s not what we meant! Please forgive us!”

They continued banging their heads onto the marble floor even when she stepped up in a futile attempt to stop them. They merely edged away from her open hands and kept performing their ritual, a ritual that even she was bored of.

“Please let them do this, Empress,” a voice spoke from behind the veil that hung at the doorway. Seeing her stand, the owner of the voice took the cue to pull back the curtain and step into the tall chamber that the woman was occupying.

“Advisor…” she muttered. At the signal of his hand, the servants fell away, clearing the room for the two as insignificantly as they always would.

“Empress, laws must be enforced by fear. Be it through starvation, imprisonment, or executions, reigning is to forcefully shift individual power into a single monarch’s hands. Your kindness will only disrupt this fear, scattering the power that your ancestors had tried so hard to gather; shattering the peace that had been held for so many years.”

“But…”

“Individuals must be sacrificed for the greater good, yet if they were given choice, they would not do so. Their greed would lead to conflicts that would turn into war and death. Power can destroy as power can create. Your intentions are good, Empress, but your views of a better world can only be put to motion if you hold onto this power that you have. Simple good fares poorly against realism.”

“I understand,” she muttered, almost as if it were to herself only.

“I apologize for my rude remarks, Empress. I will try not to interfere with your decisions again,” he said in a much more humble tone, lowering his eyes to the ground in silent respect.

“It is alright, Advisor, I thank you for your truthful words. Be not fearful when making your suggestions. After all, I have choice over whether or not to accept your advice, therefore, be bold when you speak. Even the worse comments can simply be ignored if need be,” she said, and then cleverly referred to his previous sentence, “You said that you would try not to interfere with my decisions again. Does that mean you have just carried out one of my wild plans?”

“Yes, Empress, it has been arranged,” he spoke with a hint of disappointment in his tone.

She smiled, almost in a mischievous way.

“Shall we depart today?”

“Yes. The transport is waiting outside.”

She took the mask he drew from behind him, slipping it across her pale countenance.

Thus began the one day that commenced this tale.

-End of Chapter-

AN: A very short first chapter, but the later chapters will be longer, I promise! Please give me some feedback! Anything other than flames is appreciated!